Christians could be excluded from refugee resettlement plans, says Cardinal

Prince of Wales warns of Isil threat to the “very existence of Christianity”
in the region of its birth

File photo: Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said there are fears that few if any Christian families fleeing Isil militants will be offered sanctuary in BritainPhoto: EPA

The Government’s plan to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees in the UK risks “discriminating” against Christians, according to Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic cleric.

Cardinal Vincent Nichols, leader of the Catholic Church in England and Wales, said there are fears that few if any Christian families fleeing Isil militants will be offered sanctuary in Britain because the scheme is aimed at refugees registered through the UNHCR, rather than church-run centres where most of the persecuted Christians are concentrated.

He said it was an “unintended consequence” of the plan but a “point of deep concern” for Catholic and Orthodox and other Christian churches with a stake in the region.

“At this traditional time of prayer and reflection on the mystery of the incarnation, it seems to me vital that we pause for more than a moment to think about the plight of Christians in the lands where the word was actually made flesh and dwelt among us."

Prince Charles

Concerns about the potential exclusion of Christians were also raised with the Prince of Wales at a special advent reception, hosted by Cardinal Nichols, for Middle Eastern Christians in Westminster.

The Prince, an outspoken advocate on behalf of Middle Eastern Christians heard first-hand accounts of suffering from refugees and church leaders.

In an impassioned address, the Prince spoke of the “heart-breaking” threat to the “very existence of Christianity” in its own birthplace amid predictions from the charity Aid to The Church in Need that the faith is now on course to disappear from Iraq within five years.

“At this traditional time of prayer and reflection on the mystery of the incarnation, it seems to me vital that we pause for more than a moment to think about the plight of Christians in the lands where the word was actually made flesh and dwelt among us,” he said.

The Prince of Wales (L) with Cardinal Vincent Nichols, the Archbishop of Westminster, London Photo: PA

“For despite what the brainwashed militants would have people believe, Christianity is not a ‘foreign’ religion’….Christianity has been part of the rich tapestry of life in the Middle East for 2,000 years.”

He added that far from being a “western religion”, Christianity was inextricably linked with the region now under threat from jihadists.

“This is what makes the plight of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ so especially heart-breaking,” he said.

“Their suffering is symptomatic of a very real crisis which threatens the very existence of Christianity in the land of its birth.”

The Prince also relayed accounts of extraordinary persecution of Christians in the Middle East and other regions, including torture, beheadings and even young people being buried alive.

“Their heart-rending testimonies were a powerful reminder, if indeed such a reminder is needed, of the terrible depth to which people will sink in the name of so-called faith,” he said.

Among those who met the Prince was Bishop Angaelos, the leader of the Coptic Orthodox church in the UK. He said afterwards that he had personally raised concerns about the possible effective exclusion of Christians from the resettlement scheme because they are not concentrated in UNHCR camps.

“They are almost doubly disadvantaged,” he said.

Cardinal Nichols added: "It would seem to me … and I know this point has been made to the Government, that an unintended consequence of the policy that they’ve established … is that in all probability it will effectively discriminate against Christians.

File photo: Cardinal Vincent Nichols Photo: Getty Images

“There are two reasons for that: one is that it is run under UNHCR rules which forbid deliberate discrimination on the basis of religion and secondly because most of the Christians who flee these different places end up in the care of Christian communities, rather than in the UNHCR-run refugee camps.

“Naturally the vast majority of people in the official camps are Muslims, and they are administered by Muslims so those two facts together mean that in effect it will be difficult for the Government’s extension of the resettlement programme to actually involve Christian families.”

He added: “I know that there are various points made where if it could be established that there are Christian families here who are willing to take relatives, could not that not avenue be open as well.”